1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to exercise treadmills. Specifically, the invention relates to an exercise treadmill having a fold-up capability to reduce the floor space occupied by the exercise treadmill when not in use, the front of the treadmill being selectively adjustable in the vertical direction to vary the inclination of the tread structure with respect to the floor.
2. Background Information
Motorized exercise treadmills have become standard equipment in gymnasiums, spas, and work-out clinics. The popularity of exercise treadmills has reached such a level that consumers are interested in obtaining treadmills for private home use. Typically, exercise treadmills have been constructed as one-piece devices consisting of a long rectangular tread structure or base extending from a support structure or frame. These treadmills in their simplest form include an endless belt that moves over an underlying support composed of rollers. The belt is powered by an electric motor that moves the belt at selectively varying speeds.
Treadmills also commonly include some type of inclination mechanism that positions the treadmill at various angles of inclination with respect to the floor to simulate walking or running up a grade. Various mechanisms are employed to raise and lower the front end of an exercise treadmill relative to the floor or other support surface on which the treadmill is positioned. These mechanisms usually consist of adjustable attachments or appendages connected to the underside of the treadmill.
A significant drawback of these exercise treadmills is their size. They are large, bulky structures that occupy significant areas of floor space. To remedy the space problem and promote more private home use of exercise treadmills, treadmills have been modified from a solid one-piece structure to a collapsible two-piece structure that allows for reorientation of the tread structure for compact storage.
Fold-up treadmills that have been developed for home use typically consist of a tread structure attached to a support structure, with the tread structure being selectively moveable between an exercise configuration in which the user may run, jog, walk, or perform other exercises on the tread structure and storage configuration wherein the tread structure is rearranged into a generally upright position. When the treadmill is in the storage configuration the tread structure is rotated upward and away from the floor, thus significantly reducing the amount of floor space required by the treadmill when in the storage configuration. Such treadmills have not, however, been without limitation.
Many fold-up type treadmills have been limited by an inclination mechanism operatively attached only to the rear of the tread structure. The typical type of front inclination mechanism employed on non-fold-up treadmills has not be used with reorienting treadmills because attachments or appendages that lift the front of the tread structure have not allowed sufficient clearance for the tread structure to be reoriented into a fold-up position. Such front-lifting mechanisms also have occupied significant areas of floor space, thus minimizing any advantage obtained by folding the tread structure to the storage configuration. Rear inclination is less desirable than front inclination inasmuch as it is less effective in creating or simulating an uphill incline. The need thus exists for a treadmill that has a fold-up capability and that has an inclination mechanism mounted to the front of the tread structure that occupies minimal floor space.